Attack the Meta - A Challenger Appears

\r\rAbout Attack the Meta\r\rAttack the Meta is Hearthhead\u2019s new \u2018anti-meta\u2019 meta report. Periodically, we\u2019ll look at the state of the game in Hearthstone, and - in consultation with pro players and community feedback - develop a list of decklists that are well positioned to challenge the established top tier archetypes.\r\rTraditional meta reports focus on identifying which decks are some combination of the most popular (frequency) and the most effective (win rates). AtM will certainly look at those variables as well, but focus instead on how - if you\u2019re the type of player who prefers playing something a little off the beaten path - to target the lists you\u2019re seeing the most of every day when you queue up for Ranked in Standard.\r\rWe\u2019ll be bringing decklist suggestions based on the following:\r\rGiving players an idea what\u2019s likely to \u2018come next\u2019 in the meta\rIdentifying the weaknesses in a given \u2018style\u2019 of play - knowledge of the relationship between aggro decks, tempo decks, etc.\rHelping players discover fresh decklists and new ideas in a consolidated, up-to-date fashion that counters some of the things that can be frustrating to play against so frequently!\r\rIf you have feedback on the decklists or what you\u2019re seeing on the ladder that could inform future reports, please let us know in the comments.\r\rWelcome to Hearthhead\u2019s new Attack the Meta! Effective with this meta report, we\u2019re trying something new, based on feedback we\u2019ve received since introducing the Midweek Meta Review back in January. Players have been asking us for more decklists that they\u2019re not seeing on the ladder elsewhere, or in a traditional \u2018power ranking\u2019 format - instead, they want to know what to play to beat those decks!\r\rIn keeping with that theme, here\u2019s how Attack the Meta will work:\r\rWe will work with pro players, other power rankings, and community feedback to identify the most prevalent decks on the ladder.\rWe will identify decklists and tech choices (other than the ones already identified in step 1) that effectively target the most popular ladder choices.\rOur report will suggest what you could take to the ladder that will be both effective, as well as maybe surprise your opponents.\r\rFor reference, this report is looking at Standard format only at this time.\r\r\r\rWith the ladder currently comprised heavily of cheap, effective decklists - such as Shaman or Zoo Warlock - our recommendations this week will focus on decks that maximize tempo to prevent your opponent from achieving their snowball effect win condition on the board.\r\rTo learn more about the concept of Tempo, check out this short article by Sottle: What is Tempo in Hearthstone?\r\rSo, what decks can you take to the ladder right now to steal some victories and upset the popular meta picks? For your consideration, four suggestions:\r\r\r\r\rHunter is one of the classes that felt like it was being held down prior to Standard, and also looked to be in a difficult position immediately after Old Gods launched. Part of the challenge for Hunter players is that their tech choices are so specific - you want vastly different tools depending on the meta of the day.\r\rMidrange Hunter focuses on strong trades and Beast synergy to get more tempo value out of its plays from as early as turn three or four until a hopefully game-ending play like sticking a or unleashing a . It achieves this with strong removal like or , as well as the value of buffing a Beast with a .\r\rA ton of variations on this style exist, so experiment with the tech choices as you\u2019re climbing the ladder. The first 80% or so of the archetype is quite consistent, but you\u2019ll see in some lists, in others, quite frequently, a lot, or even highly specialized tech choices like to try and answer Miracle Rogue. for Zoo is also an option.\r\rRecommended by: RDU.\r\r\r\r\r\rWhile traditional Control Warrior struggles with many of the more Midrange decks out there and may lack the tools to respond to N\u2019Zoth Paladin, C\u2019Thun Warrior trades some removal for more minions and a whole host of sustain in the form of s, , and the eventuality of not one, but TWO, plays with a .\r\rSmart use of and maximizing the value of key minions will be what decides most matchups for the Warrior. Holding for an Ancient Shieldbearer can instantly change a game; the lone Doomcaller should almost never be played ahead of C\u2019Thun himself.\r\rDiscussed by: Ephemi.\r\r\r\r\rNon-Miracle, non-Malygos Rogue decks tend to catch most players by surprise, although they continue to generally focus on combo-based finishers or may go the and Deathrattle route. There are well-established decklists and reasons to run them in those spaces, but for our purposes this week, we\u2019re looking exclusively at tempo decks, and LiveHigh recently piloted an exceptionally well-refined Tempo Rogue list.\r\rThis Rogue list uses s, but exclusively as a way to refill your hand mid-game efficiently (and the body on the board is important, so it continues to be preferable to ). A mixture of efficient removal, draw, strong minions, and numerous ways to quickly establish or reestablish board presence make this deck very difficult for any but the most tailored, removal-heavy control decks to react to. Plus, it runs , and that\u2019s pretty cool.\r\rDiscussed by: LiveHigh.\r\r\r\r\rPlayers like Sjow and Apxvoid have had enormous success with Tempo Mage against the current field, showcasing the strength of tempo decks in today\u2019s meta. There are minor variations from one list to the next - the presence of vs. , or who\u2019s using - but the broad concepts and vast majority of the decklist remain consistent.\r\rTempo Mage can struggle against the current iteration of Zoo, but it does extraordinarily well overall otherwise - splitting the difference almost evenly with any deck it doesn\u2019t have an outright advantage against. It might be a slower climb than some decks if you\u2019re not hitting a lot of pure Aggro or Control decks, but is an overall excellent performer right now.\r\rDiscussed by: Sjow and Apxvoid.\r\r\r\r\rOur tech choice spotlight this week is Acidic Swamp Ooze.\r\rAll of the strongest classes in the game right now are classes that utilize weapons, and there isn\u2019t a single top tier decklist in any of these classes that doesn\u2019t run at least one weapon. Whether you\u2019re getting an enormous tempo swing from destroying a or 75% of a , or you\u2019re just denying your opponent the efficiency of an extra charge of a or , this 2-drop minion can be easily teched into almost any current decklist in place of another minion.\r\rFor many decks, it\u2019s also safer than , since the additional card draw can constitute a liability in some archetypes. In the tempo-oriented lists we\u2019ve posted this week, that\u2019s not the case, since you don\u2019t tend to end up with a large hand size, but it\u2019s a consideration if you\u2019re running a control deck and don\u2019t want to end up destroying a key card because you couldn\u2019t get your hand size down enough to safely Harrison that Doomhammer.

Comentários

Comentado por Thrombin2

on 2016-05-27T10:37:11-05:00

This is all cool info but I'd have to question the concept of "attacking the meta". \r\rApart from the Illidan Rogue, which I've not seen, I would have said that all of those decks were already part of the meta. Midrange Hunter was all the rage at the Spring Preliminaries and I've been playing C'Thun Warrior a lot (along with Pirate Warrior). \r\rIt seems to me that a meta is, by its nature, going to consist of decks and counters to those decks. So unless you come up with something so left-field that nobody is playing it at all (in which case, why not if it's a good counter?) I would have thought that the counters are going to be a part of the meta anyway!

Comentado por Sloosh

on 2016-05-27T12:19:52-05:00

Thanks for putting this together! It is nice to see some decks discussed that aren't Miracle Rogue, Aggro Shaman, Zoo, etc. While this first batch is arguably part of the current meta they're certainly not as prevalent. \r\rAs for the whole "Attack the Meta" concept I wish you luck! Heh. It's an ambitious idea. One that will take some serious commitment to keep up with. You've definitely gained a reader for as long as you can maintain it. :)

Comentado por Skiffington

on 2016-05-27T12:54:38-05:00

This is all cool info but I'd have to question the concept of "attacking the meta". \r\rApart from the Illidan Rogue, which I've not seen, I would have said that all of those decks were already part of the meta. Midrange Hunter was all the rage at the Spring Preliminaries and I've been playing C'Thun Warrior a lot (along with Pirate Warrior). \r\rIt seems to me that a meta is, by its nature, going to consist of decks and counters to those decks. So unless you come up with something so left-field that nobody is playing it at all (in which case, why not if it's a good counter?) I would have thought that the counters are going to be a part of the meta anyway!\r\rThe point isn't to show decks that are out of the meta per se, it's to highlight archetypes we think are set to prosper given the current meta. That is, playing Midrange Hunter is advised right now given what you're likely to see on the ladder.

Comentado por Squishalot

on 2016-05-29T08:13:53-05:00

Midrange Hunter was all the rage at the Spring Preliminaries\r\rIt's worth noting that the decks people bring to tournaments tend to be counter-meta decks, on the basis that the players are trying to find counters to what they think others are going to bring to the competition.

Comentado por bigjacob

on 2016-06-01T00:38:57-05:00

It's always the same cards in every deck anyways. The meta exists the same whether you pretend to make "meta" decks, or "attack the meta" decks because strong cards will always be strong. Your only real options are to cheese, or to tryhard. Categorize a deck further if you really want to, but every deck ever made with the intent to win is a part of the meta by definition.

Comentado por Thrombin2

on 2016-06-01T04:11:36-05:00

It's always the same cards in every deck anyways. The meta exists the same whether you pretend to make "meta" decks, or "attack the meta" decks because strong cards will always be strong. Your only real options are to cheese, or to tryhard. Categorize a deck further if you really want to, but every deck ever made with the intent to win is a part of the meta by definition.

It\u2019s interesting, now that you bring up the definition, that the use of the term \u2018Meta\u2019 in Hearthstone seems to be unrelated to what any dictionary would tell you the word means. Meta is supposed to be a form of self-reference. Meta-data is data about data, for example. Something is meta when it refers to itself in some way.

Here, it\u2019s really just used to indicate the trends in the decks or classes being played at any given time. As such, your assertion is not true. A deck doesn\u2019t just have to be viable to be considered part of the meta it has to be prolific. It has to be seen sufficiently often to be a common occurrence. At least that\u2019s the definition that the term Meta is being used for here.